Concrete-slab floor construction.



1 G. B. WAITE.

CONCRETE SLAB FLOOR CONSTRUCTIO APPLICA ION FILED J ULY 29,191].

Patented Dec. 7, 1915. I

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

G. B. WAITE.

CONCRETE SLAB FLOOR CONSTRUCTION,

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29. 1911.

a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patenmd; Dec. 7, 1915;

G. B. WAITE. CONCRETE SLAB FLOOR comsmucnow.

APPLICATION FI'LED JULY 29,1911.

M g w W. m m

CONCRETE-SLAB FLOOR CONSTRUCTI CN.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that, I, GUY B. Warm, a

citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Queens, county of Queens, city of New'York and State of New York, have invented certain. new and useful Improvements ,in Concrete-Slab Floor Gonstruction, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to concrete slab floor construction and is adapted particularly for use where it is desired to give a flat ceiling line.

One of the main objects of the invention is to provide a construction wherein the amount of reinforced concrete msed will be reduced to a minimum without sacrificing any of the strength of the structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction which may be erected with the use of very slight centering under the floor slabs between the floor girders or beams, thereby materially decreasing the cost of construction- Another object. of the invention is to pro vide a construction wherein the floor or ceiling slabs may be made in a suitable plant or factory and then may be readily and cheaply placed in position in the building.

'Other important objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings Figure 1 is'a plan view of a portion of a flooring construction showing the columns and girders and the floor construction; Fig. 2 a plan view of one, of the floor slabs; Fig. '3 a perspective view of a floor slab provided with one of the spaceforming caps; Fig. 4 a transverse sectional viewof the slab and cap as shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 a transverse vertical sectional view of a portion of the complete fioor;-Fig. 6 a detail plan view of a portion of a floor showing the caps elongatedand extending the entire distance between the reinforcedgirders and showing the reinforcing rods running in only one direction between the girders; Fig. 7 a detail vertical sectional view showing a modified form of the means for locking the floor slabs to the concrete; Fig. 8 a detail vertical sectional view showing another form of means for locking the fioor slabs to the concrete and 'alining the lower surfaces of the slabs; Fig. 9 a vertical sectional view showing the metal caps temporarily supporting the floor slabs; Fig. 10-is a transverse sectional view of the con- Specification of 'Letters Patent.

Patented nee. 7, i915.

' Application'filed July 29, 1311. Serial No. 641,237.

struction shown in Fig. 9; and F 11 is a detail perspective view of one of the slabs shownin Figs. 9 and 10.

- The invention consists generally. of fiat slabs formed of cement, concrete or other suitable material, laid on temporary supports at the ceiling line of a proposed reinforced concrete floor; On the tops of these slabs hollow'caps are laid in rows leaving passageways between the caps for the insertion of thereinforcing rods and the concrete. The slabs are provided with various means for engaging each other where they meet and also are formedv with ridges for holding the caps in place, said ridges also serving the slabs.

The capsmay be made of suitable material, but are preferably formed of sheet iron or similar material shaped to fit down over the ridges of the slabs, all of which'will be fully hereinafter described.

Referring to the various parts by nu merals 1 designates the supporting columns which may be of any suitable construction-z purpose of strengthening the a and l the floor beams supportedby the columns and adapted to be inclosed in concrete. The floor slabs 2 are supported on any suitable form of. temporary centering arranged between the floor girders. Around the girders are formed boxes, in the usual manner, to receive the concrete, and the edges of the adjoining floor slabs extend into said boxes, as indicated in Fig. 5 so that their edges are embedded in the concrete surrounding said girders. Each fioor slab is formed with upstanding ridges'3 formed a suitable distance inwardly from the edges of the said slab so that there is a flat surface 4 between said ridges and the adjoining edges of the slab. These ridges are shown in the drawings as forming a rectangular upstanding flange or ridge around the four sides of the rectangular slabs. It is manifest, however, that said flanges may be arranged in any desired form, but it is preferred to form them as shown in the drawings. The meeting edges ofthe floor slabs are recessed to form the interlocking edges 5 so that when said flanges are interlocked the under surfaces of the slabs are alined. By

this means the ceiling formed by theunder surface of the slabs will be comparatively smooth, and in the cheaper grade of buildings need not be plastered or finished. By providing the slabs with the interlocking flanges as described the said slabsmay be more readily maintained in proper alinement with a comparatively small amount of temporary centering or supports. Other means for keeping the meeting edges and the under surfaces of theblocks alined may be employed. Aemodified means for this purpose is shown in Fig. 8.

Fitting over the flanges of each floor slab is a cap 60f any suitable material and of the desired depth. The. open side of the cap receives the flanges of the slab so that said flanges are inclosed within the cap, as clearly indicated in Figs. 4 and 5, of the drawings.

These caps are shown as rectangular in order to adapt them to fit the rectangular flanges or ridges on the floor slabs, but, of

course, they may be shaped as desired, it being only necessary that they shall receive within them the flanges on the slabs. The

vertical sides of these capsmay be of any desired height, depending upon the thickness of concrete it is desired to place between I said caps, as will be hereinafter described.

When the floor and the caps are arranged as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, passageways or channels 7 are formed between them, said channels running at right angles to each other and crossing each other as shown. In these channels are arranged the reinforcing bars ,8, said bars running in both directions and crossing each other as shown clearly in Fig. 1. Each slab is formed with the metallicloops 9 which extend upwardly from the surfaces 4:, atopposite sides of the slab and lie in the channels? and become embedded in the cement of the finished floor, thereby locking the slabs to the floor structure. The wire forming these loops is preferably carried through the cement slabs, as

shown clearly in Fig. d of the drawings and thereby strengthens the slab. It is manifest that any suitable means may be employed for lockingthe slabs to the concrete, one modified arrangement being shown in Fig. 7. The loops 9 not only form a secure anchoring means but serve as handles by means -10 in their tops and vertical of which the blocks may be readily manipulated and'placedin proper positions in the floor structure.

When the caps are they are preferably provided with grooves sides for the purpose of stiffening and strengthening them. It is obvious, however, that if they are formed of metal of suflicient thickness,

' these grooves may be dispensed with.

formed of sheet metal.

struction where the span between the floor girders is short. If however, spaces between permanent supports are short then no reinforcing rods 8 will be necessary.

In Fig. 7 the floor slabs are provided 'along their edges with the upstanding flanges 11 which are under-cut at 12 to provide means for locking the slabs to the concrete. It is manifest that when the concrete hardens the said slabs will be locked thereto by reason of the under-cut and dove-tail parts 12. It is manifest that these upstanding flanges may be formed in many ways to secure the interlocking of the slabs to the concrete.

In Fig. 8 the duced by reason of the use of the caps 6/ These caps form air spaces, and consequently is manifest that the vertical sides of these caps may be as deep as desired in order to abutting edges of the floorslabs are brought to acomparatively sharp materially lighten the structure. It

adapt the invention for use with floors of various carrying capacities. short spaces the metal caps may be used to support the concrete slabs forming the ceiling and also carry the concrete floor without other sup-' ports. By deepening the sides of the caps the reinforced concrete portions l3'between the caps will be deeper and consequently capable of supporting a greaterweight. The concrete portions 14 over the caps may be as thick as desired, but need be of very slight thickness, as is manifest. The metal caps 6 when set in the concrete become very rigid, and the entire structure constitutes a very rigid but exceedingly light floor structure. It is manifest that a very material part of the concrete is saved. It is also manifest that by t e use of this system of construction the concrete and reinforcing rods are arranged at the proper points to give ample rigidity and strength to the structure. It is also clear that the concrete is eliminated from those places where it is performing no useful purpose, that is to say from. those points where it does not add strength to the structure. It is manifest that at those points it is desirable to lighten the fioor con struction to the greatest possible extent. By the use of the sheet metal caps the cement or concrete is placed precisely where it is most said slabs to said concrete.

needed and where it performs its work most efficiently.

In Fig. 9 the caps 17 bridge the space be-' free ends extending upwardly to adapt themto betwisted about the caps and to serve as ties by which the slabs are temporarily secured to the caps. The slabs are formed with longitudinally extending ribs 20 which fit within the caps and brace the lower edges of the side walls thereof and prevent them being crushed inwardly by the concrete.

The tie wires 19 also serve as meansfor.

- alinement. The cement floor slabs and the metal caps may be made up at a suitable plant or facinterlocking the slabs with the concrete.

tory and may be easily transported to the building to be erected. It is also manifest 'that as these caps and slabs are extremely simple in construction they may be very readily and cheaply manufactured. By reason of the simplicity of the construction of the caps and slabs and their simple arrangement in the completed structure, they may be'erected by comparatively unskilled, and consequently cheap, labor.

It is manifest that the under sides of the slabs may be shaped as desired in the factory so that the finished ceiling will have the desired appearance. Another important advantage is the lightness of the-construction wherein long spans, and consequent deep floors, are of practically the same weight as short spans.-

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A floor construction comprising supports, a'serles of rectangular cement floor slabs arranged side by side and extending .over the space between said supports, each of said slabs being formed with an upstanding flange a suitable distance inwardly from its edges, a rectangular sheet metal cap adapted to fit down over each of said flanges on each of said slabs, reinforcing rods arranged between said caps, concrete embedding the caps and the reinforcing rods, means carried by'the slabs for interlocking the abutting edges of the slabs to maintain the under] surfaces of the slabs in horizontal alinement, and means carried by each of said slabs and extending up into the concrete to anchor 2. A floor construction comprising sup ports, a series of cement floor slabs arranged side by sideand extending over the space bedistance'inwardly from its edges, a sheet metal cap adapted to fit down over the flanges of each of said slabs, means carried by the slabs for interlocking the abutting edges of the slabs to maintain the .under surfaces ofthe slabs in horizontal alinement andmeans carried by each of said slabs and extending up into the concrete to anchor said slabs.

3. A floor construction comprising supports, a series of rectangular floor slabs extending over the space between said supports, a sheet metal cap arranged to fit on each slab, said cap being formed with strengthening ribs, means on the slabs for centering said caps on the floor slabs, and means carried by the slabs for interlocking the abutting edges of the slabs to maintain the under surfaces thereof in horizontal and the slabs and interlocking with theupwardly extending loops on the slabs.

5. A floor construction comprising supports, a series of rectangular .floor'slabs bridging the space between said supports, a

rectangular sheet metal cap on each floorv slab, an upstanding flange parallel with each edge of the slab and adapted to fit within the rectangular cap, said flanges preventing the sides of the caps being forced inwardly, an upstanding loop near opposite edges of the slab and on the upper side thereof, and a mass of concrete over the caps and slabs and interlocked with the upstanding loops.

6. A floor construction comprising supports, a series of slabs or plates bridging the space between said supports, a sheet metal cap mounted on and supported by each of said plates, said caps being smaller in plan view than said plates, means oneach plate or slab adapted to be engaged by the lower edges of the cap supported. bysaid plate to hold the side walls of said cap in position, upwardly extending locking means. carried by each slab or plate said means be-..

ing outside of the cap, and a mass of concrete over the caps and the slabs and embedding the locking means on the slabs and locking the slabs to the concrete.

7. A floor construction comprising supports, a series of rectangular floor slabs or plate s bridging the space between said supports, a series of rectangular sheet metal caps on said floor slabs, upstanding flanges on said slabs parallel with opposite edgesthereof and fitting within the recangular caps, said flanges preventing the sides of the caps from being forced inwardly.v an upstanding locking device carried by each slaboutside of the caps and a mass of concrete over the caps and slabs and embedding the locking device to hold the slab to the concrete. l

8. A floor construction comprisingsupports, a series of rectangular floor slabs bridging the space between said supports, a rectangular sheet metal cap on each floor slab, upstanding flanges parallel with opposite edges of each slab and adapted to fit within the rectangular cap, said flanges preventing the sides of the caps being forced inwardly, an upstanding locking device near opposite edges of the slab and on the upper side thereof, and a mass of concrete over the caps and slabs and interlocked with the locking devices.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in thepresence of two witnesses.

GUY BENNETT WAITE.

Witnesses F. R. MILLER, L. MAGUIRE. 

